Just Another 48 Hours
by Midnight Parallax
Summary: Against Time: Part One - What happened in the 48 hours between Max's speech in FN and when they raised the flag? It felt like a lot got glazed over, so here's what I think happened. It's the prequel to a larger M/A story in the works.
1. Chapter 1: End of the World

**Just Another 48 Hours**

**Summary:** What happened during the two days from the night Max took a stand and the raising of the flag? It felt like a lot, considering how it ended. So this is my take on what happened. I'm still in the middle of writing it as it's gotten longer than I expected it to be. It will end with the same scene as Freak Nation though it's more Max and Alec on the inside I swear. This story is also a prequel to another post-FN story I haven't started yet but have the notes for.

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Chapter 1: _It's the End of the World As We Know It_**

_May 3, 2021_

There it was.

The end of the world as they knew it.

It was the end of a life of blissful ignorance about just how far science had driven humanity away from itself, splicing and dicing in part cat, part shark and god only knew what else.

_The Island of Doctor Moreau_ meets _Lord of the Flies_ in post-Pulse Seattle. It sounded more like a movie tagline than a front page news headline.

Monsters under the bed weren't just under the bed or hiding in the closet, they were everywhere and could be anyone.

It was a life ten years in the making, all unraveled in the short span of twenty-four hours. But that seemed to be the theme of Max's strange little life these days. Everything was just waiting to be turned upside down. There was no more hiding her true X5 nature anymore from those around her. Nothing was the way it seemed. She had spent her whole life believing that she was a botched job, only to find out that she had been created by some mad scientist named Sandeman to be the savior of all humankind.

The man must have had a twisted sense of humor, hiding her in that newly constructed circle of hell on earth known as Manticore. Well, it wasn't as if he could have dropped her off at a convent to be raised in the ways of self-sacrifice and self-righteousness. But ironically, it was at Manticore where she had learned these things from her brothers and sisters. The way they looked out for one another, the way they fought for the right to live lives of their own. She had learned these things from Logan too.

It was her siblings, her eagerness to live, that made her decide to take Manticore head on and stop running. She may not have succeeded the first time around, but she had more than made up for it the second time. She hadn't intended on burning the place to the ground. That just happened as a stroke of luck. Having obliterated a past that hurt too much to remember, she was supposed to be able to build the life she wanted to lead. Whatever that was. She hadn't really stayed in one place long enough to really imagine a future for herself. It had always been about finding her siblings, reuniting them and living happily ever after. That was as far as she got.

Now she was leading a life she never expected. She wasn't sure what kind of life she had been expecting to lead once she had stopped running from Manticore and Lydecker, but this certainly wasn't it. Her life had gone from surviving one day at a time to becoming the caretaker of every transgenic she had released into the unsuspecting world. The change was unsettling. Never in her wildest dreams had she seen herself taking things this far. Letting everyone out, then having them gather in her hometown of Seattle to stage a coup declaring their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Maybe there was some George Washington in her cocktail that no one bothered to mention, which would actually seem normal at this point.

So what exactly were they going to do?

It wasn't like there was a course at Manticore about launching a coup with a couple hundred rogue transgenics in a densely populated city. She had double-checked with Alec on that one. However there had been a class on how to stage one in a South American country for some reason. Just her luck.

Watching the crowd dissipate from the parking garage, Max couldn't help wondering what she had gotten herself into. What she had gotten them into. She didn't really expect the public to welcome them into society or ignore their presence altogether. But they were here to stay. For once, the plan was not to run. They would build a home they deserved here.

Nothing else mattered more than establishing their survival _together_. Safety in numbers. If only Zack had believed in that, how would things have gone? Certainly not like this. But she wasn't Zack and she had learned from his mistakes and her own.

"Max?" came a voice to shake her out of her thoughts.

It was Logan.

He was standing by Alec, whose gaze was bouncing between her and the floor. Max had almost forgotten about her awkward love life. Alec probably didn't want to stick around long and have to pretend to be an upstanding boyfriend. Max toyed with the idea of making him sweat it out until she remembered that he was doing it as a favor to her. He'd also been shot and nearly beaten to death by some Familiar chick. As if that wasn't enough, he had been saved by Logan, who chided him about it the entire ride to Terminal City. Even Max had to admit that Logan thinking he'd one-upped a wounded X5 to make himself feel better did come off as petty. For Alec's ego that was enough suffering for one day.

It was so much easier when Alec was one of the bad guys and not working for her. She couldn't let him be the scapegoat for something he had no role in. Neither had anticipated that Logan would take out his frustration on him. Fortunately, Alec hadn't retaliated because he knew Logan was jealous and that he could beat him without even trying, but there was no telling when he would just snap and decide to put Logan in his place. Max hadn't wanted to deal with it, but it was growing more and more apparent that the tangled web was choking the life out of all of them.

"Well, this will be one birthday I'll never forget," Alec quipped, breaking the silence. "This was my very first one, but are they all like this? Because if they are, I can see why Manticore ditched them."

"Nope, you just happen to be that special," Max replied. "Why don't you go have that arm checked out at the Med Bay?"

Alec nodded and took it as his cue to exit. Original Cindy took it as her cue to leave as well, and grabbed Sketchy by the arm. "Come on fool, let's go with him."

Sketchy didn't argue as Cindy pulled him off in the direction Alec had gone. It left Max and Logan standing alone with an awkward tension between them.

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked, aware of the situation but trying to play it off.

"We're checking on the food we've got stored, stepping up surveillance, and looking into our weapons stash as we speak," Max told him.

"You make it sound like you're going to war," Logan said.

The last time he had seen her like this was when they were about to take down Manticore. It was a side of her that he didn't like to see, which was why he had spent so much time not watching her plan military maneuvers nor listening to the ease in her voice when it came to discussing using live ammunition or bombs. Lydecker had reveled in it, but Logan had shied away.

"We're making a stand here. We know it isn't exactly going to involve the mayor sending us a fruit basket and the keys to Terminal City," she said plainly. "We were trained by the military, not Buddhist monks."

Logan wasn't sure how to respond to that. He wanted Max to be safe, but at what cost? This was a dangerous game, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing come out of her mouth. If push came to shove, they were going to go down fighting. Bleeding messes were not Logan's way of dealing with things.

The irony also wasn't lost on him. Most of the weapons in their possession came from the same criminals Eyes Only had tried to put out of business just a year ago. It was their blinding greed which hurt so many that would now be the great equalizer when the transgenics sought supplies. No one would legally sell them anything. The system wouldn't allow it. So they would turn to alternative means, which Logan wasn't sure he liked the idea of but had no say in the matter.

"Fine. Just know that whatever you choose, I'll stand by you for as long as I can. I still care about you and I still want to help," Logan finally said.

Max nodded. She realized that she needed to end this thing with him. She hadn't managed to push him away after all, like Alec said. There was no use continuing the charade if it wasn't doing its job. Well, it was either that or stepping it up a notch and having sex with Alec in front of Logan, which was not an option. Besides, Max needed to keep her head on straight to organize Terminal City. She would be too busy to even contemplate getting back together with Logan, she didn't need Alec as an excuse anymore when she had a real one.

"Look, about me and Alec," she began and immediately saw his face fall.

"I don't need to be reminded," he snapped.

"That's just it! There's no 'me and Alec'! I made it up," she blurted out before he could stop her or she could change her mind.

At that moment, Logan's face was unreadable. Was it relief? Anger? Hurt? If someone asked him, even he wouldn't have had an answer for them. He wasn't sure what to feel. "What?"

"That night Alec got picked up by the cops for Ben's murders. So, I had to go in and save his ass as usual. He couldn't exactly go back to his place after I broke him out, so he crashed at mine. That was it," she explained as though it was obvious to anyone.

Logan studied her as she spoke, taking it all in. It made perfect sense, didn't it? "Then why'd you lie about it?"

Max let out a sigh. "Because I was tired of living in fear that tomorrow would be the day I got too close and we were out of miracles, okay? Or didn't you hear me the first time around?"

"So you were just protecting me?" Logan asked, his sharp voice indicating that he'd chosen an emotion to run with. Anger. "Guess what Max? You hurt me as much as the virus ever could! The lying, the hiding – I can get how Alec can do it. But after all we've been through together, you couldn't be honest with me?"

Now it was Max's turn to be angry. "I was honest with you! You just wouldn't listen! If you weren't going to stay away, I'd just stick a road block in front of you. But even the saintly Logan Cale couldn't keep himself from someone else's girlfriend."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because evidently it didn't work! And now, my whole life is about keeping us – everybody, not just the people with freaky DNA but the whole world – alive. I don't need to push you away anymore. You don't fit in the picture and I don't have time for petty games that give you hope for us."

He stood there and absorbed it all. He had given her an easy out by assuming she was with Alec, and she had taken it. Now she was saying that she didn't need him in her life at all? "You know what? It's been a long day. I… I just can't deal with this right now."

With no more than that, he turned and walked away from her. All Max could do was watch.

There was a part of her that felt every ounce of pain that he felt. It had hurt her to do that to him, but it had to be done. He would never know how much it tore her apart to lie to him. He wouldn't understand that she was willing to give up all she wanted for him to be safe and alive.

Another part of her was relieved to have put an end to the unnecessary complications it had brought into everyone's lives. Alec was an ass, but he didn't deserve to play whipping boy to Max and Logan's relationship, even if he did owe her for saving him so much. He was sort of her friend by now too. Sort of. There was another complicated relationship she'd have to sort out at another time. Logan was enough to deal with for now.

A little voice in the back of her head was screaming for her to go after Logan, to tell him how much she loved him and that she couldn't bear him giving up his life for her. She really did love him and wanted to be with him, but she wasn't one for lost causes the way he was and only wanted him to forgive her. That little voice got the crap beaten out of it by the other two notions in her head.

Hadn't Cece just died trying to protect her? Her body had been left at Jam Pony during the escape, though Normal had helped Dr. Shankar sneak it out into the morgue until they could go back and give her a proper goodbye.

There was no need to add Logan or anyone else to that list of collateral damage that came with keeping her safe.

There was a reason why things had to be this way.

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_Please review! It means a lot! Thanks!  
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	2. Chapter 2: No Sleep Tonight

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! And as promised more Alec, along with being in Max's head. It is just kind of how some things start coming together. The chapter is the very early AM hours, they've got the whole day ahead of them afterwards.

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Chapter 2: **_**No Sleep Tonight**_

_May 4, 2021_

Max just wanted to get away. From the pain, the sorrow and gnawing guilt that filled her from the encounter with Logan. And the loss of any semblance of a normal life that she could have ever had.

She had gone to the Command Center hoping to get into the heart of the current situation, so she could ignore the cries of her own bleeding one. Keeping busy would keep her mind off Logan. There were more important things going on.

Luke had reported back that there were enough food supplies to last the week, if the transgenics could exhibit some sort of self control and not eat everything in sight. The problem was, how long were they going to be locked in Terminal City? It was not one of those things Max liked to think about, but it had to be done. They had to plan past tomorrow, past next week. If there was a tomorrow…

Dix had been on watch with Joshua, monitoring news bulletins and the outside perimeter. The sector police and news crews were still out there, but no mention of the National Guard. Yet. Maybe they were hoping to keep the element of surprise? Being in a city area prevented the army from breaking out their big toys, essentially the cruise missiles and war tanks, which just spoiled all their fun. That meant that if anyone was coming in, it would have to be through the front gate. And the transgenics were more than willing to make the intruders into the welcome mat if they tried.

"Luckily that Korean arms dealer came through," Mole said in the earliest hours of the morning. "Got enough stuff to launch our own independence day."

Max almost thought she saw a happy tear well up at the corner of his eye, but opted to nod her head. Biggs' face flashed through her mind. The last time she saw him alive, a triumphant grin was plastered across his face after they had just saved that Arctic division guy. He had only joined their rag-tag team a week before he was murdered for simply existing. It was his death that prompted Max to step up their defenses. She knew he would be proud that he hadn't thoroughly lost his life in vain.

Of course, if Max had her way, he would have never died in the first place. But at least he could be remembered as a hero, a teammate, a friend by those who knew him. He was more than a soldier. If he had died at Manticore, he would have just been another barcode in a field, long forgotten after a round of Psy-Ops.

"So, oh fearless leader, what's our next move?" asked Mole.

Max glared at him. "I'm not a leader."

She was the little sister. The lone wolf. Zack was the leader. The Alpha.

Leaders were brave and self-sacrificing. They made difficult decisions to keep their people safe. Leaders didn't just look out for number one. All of the things Zack had done over the years to keep them safe, to keep her alive, those were things only a true leader could do. She didn't feel like she was as brave, devoted, wise or tactical as he had been for ten years in a world he hardly knew. She just jumped into things and hoped for the best. Leaders couldn't do that with the weight of so many lives on their shoulders.

"Excuse me, but were you or were you not the one that held that little freak rally? Then weren't you the one to start delegating tasks? In my book girly, that makes you our Commanding Officer," was Mole's reply. Then he took a puff from his cigar and offered it to her, but she declined. He shrugged and put it back in his mouth. "Plus the whole being the savior of humanity thing is a great PR tactic. I'm no fan of the ordinaries, but I'll be damned if I'm stuck with only those stupid familiars running the show. Those people did not breed for looks or charm or intelligence from what I saw. At least you Xs have that going for ya."

Max let out a defeated snicker. She had let them out into the world… Just like Zack had let her out. It looked like she was following in her big brother's footsteps after all. She began to understand why he had done what he had done for her. Being responsible for everyone wasn't easy. Maybe that was why Zack was so strict. Maybe that was why she was so hard on Alec for screwing up and overly protective of Joshua. It was the only way she knew how to show she cared. Poor Zack, in spite of his faults, he always did what was best for them even when it hurt.

In that moment, Max realized how much her big brother must have loved them. Was she capable of that amount of love for those that had been put in her care?

She needed to clear her head.

The abandoned factory felt claustrophobic, even though she, Mole and Dix were the only ones in there at this hour. Everyone else had gone to bed. The room was suddenly heavy with responsibility and uncertainty, an awful mix that made her disoriented and distressed like after a round of Psy-Ops. She needed to get out. Maybe coming to Headquarters wasn't such a good idea after all.

She had only escaped from one dead end situation to another.

It was times like these that she would climb up to the Space Needle. But now with everything that had happened, it might as well have been on the other side of the world. Terminal City had its own share of high rises, but there wasn't a High Place there. Not yet anyway. And she wasn't in a mood to spend time picking one out. It would mean that the Space Needle wasn't her High Place anymore, and she wasn't ready to contemplate that scenario.

Somehow, in her late night wandering she found herself at the Advanced Recombinant Genetics Lab. The place had seen better days. Max couldn't help wondering what else Sandeman cooked up here in Seattle.

Seattle.

It all seemed like fate now… if she believed in that sort of thing.

Sandeman had lived and worked here.

Manticore had shut down its other bases across the country back in 2009 when they escaped, and consolidated them into the Washington facility. But Max didn't find that out until much later.

Seattle had started out as just another place to disappear. But then she found the idea of staying too appealing. She had found a job, a few decent people to hang out with, lots of places to steal from, what more did a girl need? It wasn't like the stay would be permanent, even though a departure date hadn't been set. She was waiting to wear out her welcome, except it didn't happen.

Then Logan came along. Another reason to stay. He filled the emptiness that came from losing her siblings. She didn't have to hide who she was from him, and that had been so wonderful there were no words for it. That wasn't how it started though. It started with her guilt and his paralysis, then a quid pro quo, a tit for tat that turned into a dance that neither could escape. So she stayed. Seattle became home.

Wasn't that how Alec ended up taking refuge here as well? His guilt about costing her the cure to the virus had led to him joining her in that all consuming quest to aid the freed transgenics. They had a rough start, but had come a long way. Logan had once compared Alec to the Max he first met all those years ago. She didn't like to think of it that way, but the man had a point.

Seattle had now become Ground Zero for the transgenic front. Someone, somewhere was swearing that it was all those damn liberals' own fault with their push for stem cell research back in the early 2000s. Another would blame it on the overdose of coffee into the mainstream public, which gave people all sorts of energy to come up with superior genetic codes for soldiers. It was Seattle's fault that it had fallen.

It was still home though. All her worlds had collided here at her doorstep when she found Sandeman's house. Life outside, the breeding cult, and Manticore were now all one and the same.

Max was getting the sneaking suspicion it wasn't all a coincidence.

"Couldn't sleep either?" came a voice from behind her.

She spun around to see Alec in her cat's eye night vision. He was wearing a pair of sweats and a white T-shirt with his trademark smirk topping it all off. Max had almost forgotten that they had left some clothes for long stays in T.C. and that she was still in her cat burglar outfit since last night. She needed to change soon.

"I don't sleep much, remember?"

"Yeah, but I never believed it. You're way too cranky to be getting enough sleep."

Max scowled. "What're you doing here, smart ass?"

He approached her. "Told ya. Couldn't sleep. Logan snores like a lumberjack, for future reference."

"Alec," she said, her voice deathly sweet. "Do you want me to knock you out cold so you can go back to dream land?"

His grin fell. She would probably do it. "As tempting an offer as that is, I'll pass. Seriously, Max, even in this light you look like hell. Get some rest."

"You crawled out of bed to drag me into it?"

She quickly realized her error in wording but it was too late.

Alec chuckled. "Ah, I know the stress has gotten to you if you're looking to take it out on me in such a creative way. Can I get a rain check? Kinda tired."

Max smacked him across the head.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe you hit an injured man who you're supposed to be dating!"

"I told him the truth, you know," she stated indifferently.

Realization dawned on Alec. "So that's why he didn't try to smother me with a pillow while I was sleeping?"

Alec had been dozing off at Joshua's apartment, where Logan, Cindy and Sketchy had also set up shop for the night. Gem, her baby and Dalton had found some friends on Oak Street to stay with. Max didn't need to sleep. She couldn't, not with everything she needed to do.

"There's an idea for next time," Max said thoughtfully. "Seriously, Alec, it's two in the morning and you're in a lab. Why?"

"I was thinking I'd cut to the chase and start splicing up more mutant soldiers for our cause?"

Max shot him an incredulous look.

"What? Not a good plan? Maybe we've got something to make napalm," Alec said, tumbling through the containers in the dark. "Hmm… You know, that really isn't such a bad idea. Remind me to look into that."

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she said, "Why are you here?"

"Figured you could use a friend. I know I could," he reluctantly admitted. "My freedom, having my own life? Poof, gone. Along with everything I owned. Well, you know – easy come, easy go."

Her response was a simple nod. She sat down on the floor, her knees bent in front of her. Contemplation mode. Alec sat down beside her and leaned onto on the of the cabinets.

"You know, I don't know what's going to happen," she said.

"Yeah, it's days like this that Brian really woulda come in handy."

"His name was Brain."

"Whatever."

She resisted the urge to smack him again.

"I miss it out there already."

His words shocked her even though they shouldn't have. It was like a smack in the face.

"Do you know that they don't have cable in here? I mean, sure what good is a great surveillance system if you can't catch a little HBO every now and then?"

There was the Alec she knew.

"Of course." Then she let out a groan. "This is not what I wanted. None of this! Is this better than Manticore? Being hunted and caged?"

"You're kidding, right? We chose to stay and fight. We made that decision for ourselves, don't fool yourself, you're not that great of a public speaker. That is worth it, or did you fry your brain moping over Logan?"

She had been looking to gain some perspective on the situation for the last few hours. Then wham! Alec showed up and hit her over the head with it in just a few seconds. It just figured. He had been her pet project for these last couple of months, willingly or unwillingly on both ends. He was unlike Logan in that way. He played as rough as she did.

In spite of his annoying smart aleck remarks and incessant chattering, he was known for the occasional insightful moment when no one but Max was looking.

"Shut up. Logan's out of the picture. And for the record, I don't mope," Max told him.

"Yeah, well you need to get with the times and update to MP3s, because all you've done is mope since I've met you. At first I was sorry since it was my fault and shut up. Not this time. I came here to be your friend. You would never talk to Sketchy or Cindy like that. I watched my entire life collapse for what? The third time in a year? But I came to help you out and get my head bit off?" He stood up and looked down at her. His voice was not bitter, but cold. "I'm a chump. I always think we're past this crap and you find some new way to make me the villain."

She simply sat there, watching him and taking in every word he said. She didn't even try to stop him from leaving.

Okay, now too many things had come into perspective.

Why was it so hard to forgive Alec's misdeeds when she had never found it in her to blame Ben for his actions? Why did she push Alec away this time? He wasn't exactly the cuddly, gather round a campfire and share your feelings kind of guy. He was no more cold-blooded than Ben for all his years at Manticore. Hell, Alec felt remorse for his actions while Ben was lost even until the end.

Alec didn't leave her the way Zack did. He didn't try to control her, force her to listen to reason. Zack would have told everyone to go to ground. He wouldn't have let things get out of control like this to begin with anyway.

In a strange way, Alec had been what her idealized big brothers couldn't be for her – stable, listening, and most of all, _there_. That was part of why she was angry at him, after the constantly screwing up part. Why couldn't he be them? She missed her brothers so much. Both dead on account of her. There was a small part of her that imagined that if she had enough time, she could've talked some sense into Ben and saved him. They would have had each other to hold when seizures got bad, stayed up together while the rest of the world slept, and just been there for each other come hell or high water. But Ben was gone.

Alec didn't leave, not really. He'd go away, but he'd eventually come back or Max would have to go to save him from whatever unsavory trouble he managed to get himself into. She didn't even like him all that much. Honestly, she looked at him so often hoping that he would turn into Ben that she could only lash out when he broke the spell.

Now to hear that it was _his_ choice to stay, it was too much.

He had just barged into her life and audaciously set up shop. He strolled into Jam Pony and got a job there. He broke into Logan's apartment when the mood suited him.

He decided to sit with her on the Space Needle _that_ night.

The only other people Max had been up there with were Logan and Ben. She had found Ben. She had brought Logan. But Alec came.

That was what made it so hard to figure out where he fit in her life. They were friends, but it was more complicated than that. He decided that they were friends, not her. It drove her crazy because he didn't even ask, he just sauntered into her life and decided that he was a part of it.

She was kind of glad he had. That thought startled the life out of her. She wouldn't admit it though. Springing to her feet, she blurred after him. He was at the end of the block when she caught him by the arm and turned him to face her. It caught him off guard and he would've attacked, but he was too shocked. Especially when she hugged him and he couldn't breathe.

Max wasn't much of a talker. A doer, a critic, a bad ass who was more idealistic than she'd like people to know. Not a conversationalist. Alec understood that. He knew in his own way what Max meant by her gesture.

It was more meaningful than anything she could have ever tried to say.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. They were going to need each other for what was to come, though they would kill anyone who even implied such a thing. She was a bitch and he was a jackass. Still, it was them and their rag-tag bunch of genetic misfits against the world.

"You're not the villain," Max whispered in his ear. "You're just the anti-hero."

"Glad you finally picked up on that. Now, we need to get you showered and changed before Mole or one of the other transhumans thinks to ask you out."

She let go of him. She stepped back just enough to put a little extra force into the smack she gave him. He almost got out of the way but she was still faster. They both laughed.

Together, they silently walked back to Joshua's apartment. They both tried to act like it didn't matter that the other was there. Alec didn't shorten his steps for Max keep up. And Max didn't look at him and wonder what exactly it was that kept them both coming back.


	3. Chapter 3: Off Course

A/N: The time is early evening of May 4 when we jump back in. It shows how Terminal City starts to come together under the pressure.

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Chapter 3: **_**Off Course**_

_May 4, 2021_

He was avoiding her.

Logan Cale was also a master of escape and evade, Max learned in the last twenty-four hours. She hadn't seen him since her confession. In between meetings with several concerned transgenics, going over inventory with Alec and occasionally stopping to watch news broadcasts for possible threats of imminent doom, Max had really wanted to see him. She wasn't sure why though. It would just be painful for both of them. He had been so hurt and angry when she told him the truth.

Guilt was still fresh in her mind. She still loved him. Those things didn't just go away overnight. No matter how long that night seemed.

"There are still a lot of transgenics on the outside, hiding until they can get in here. But we've got no way to get a message out to them that this isn't the time to start looking for a family reunion," Dix said. "They can't exactly stay out there either."

"Don't worry, they'll find a way in. Any transgenic worth his genetic coding should find this a piece of cake," Mole commented. "A couple hundred armed guards? Kid stuff."

"I've got a team working on it," Max said, city-planning maps laid out in front of her on a large table in Command.

Mole made a gesture with the cigar in his hand, as if this all just proved his point.

They had found maps of Seattle in one of the abandoned buildings that once housed a city agency, but hadn't really found a use for them until now. Luke was really glad he hadn't used them to power the generator last week when they were out of fuel. Now they were plotting out the police and National Guard positions with military accuracy from the news feeds, which helped them to find weak spots where someone could slip through.

How stupid did the humans think they were? Highly trained bio-weapons with genius IQs and enhanced abilities, who spent a lifetime being trained in military strategy, were going to let themselves be bested by state police? Lydecker would roll over in his grave in shame. If he was dead. Well, Sandoval was dead and he'd be pissed if they let that happen.

Max stared determinedly at the heavily marked up map. It displayed a technicolor picture of closed and guarded exits, available housing units, storage areas, video camera positions, and the like. It was all theirs and no one would be taking it away anytime soon.

This was their life.

It had taken some time to convince them of that. That Max wasn't just some idealistic 09er who didn't know a damn thing about leading people, or dealing with a tactically disadvantageous situation involving trigger happy officers with really big guns. It had started the night Sam crashed through town and Max had to make a deal with White, with Joshua and Alec there to back her up. She had talked them into making a life together, making a better life out of this dump. Tactic-wise, she had a point and they knew it. Easy for her to say, she lived on the outside where she would pretend to be just another ordinary.

The other transgenics had become used to her being their primary liaison with the outside world. That was fine by them. So many years out in the world, she was their best resource for it. But allowing her to take the reins was a different matter. Some had their doubts.

The Logan situation didn't win her many points among her fellow transgenics either. Though they knew him well and considered him a friend, he wasn't exactly one of them. The emotionally volatile relationship they shared and her dependence on his approval was not something the transgenics wished to see in their leader.

But there had been whispers going around when Logan wasn't seen by her side all that day. Or by anyone else really.

_She had sent him packing. Some would miss him around, primarily those in Command like Luke and Josh._

_He finally decided he'd had enough of them all and was going back to his own. He wasn't that bad of a guy, but this wasn't his fight._

_Someone saw her and a certain former breeding partner looking a little cozy the night before. What was the story there?_

_Alec was a popular one around Terminal City. He also followed her around everywhere. What was up with that?_

These sorts of rumors shouldn't have factored into her ability to lead, but this was politics. Everything about a candidate was fair game for public opinion, from military experience to lovers to the kind of shoes she wore last month.

The air was thick with suspicion about Max's private life when they weren't focused on being blown up. They needed something to keep themselves entertained with after all, and this was the most interesting thing they had thus far. Gossip made the work go faster. And it was better than talking about when they would be blown to pieces.

"Nobody's made a single move since this whole thing went down yesterday," commented Luke. "Call me crazy but at least if they were firing at us, we'd know what to do."

"Well, we sure as hell won't be firing back in the meantime," Max stated firmly. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, this will not turn into some sort of bloodbath. Clemente's bought us time by putting the heat on White for mishandling the situation, but we won't be winning any sympathy anytime soon. So I say we can wait til we've got to burn that bridge."

"Emergency evacuation plans are in the works in case things go further south than we'd like," Alec told her discreetly. Even though she'd been bent on staying, there was no reason not to have a back up plan just in case. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten wrangled into that one. It had to be somewhere between when he was running after census polls and being chased after for supplies. "Here are the committee sign-up lists. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find transgenics with no opposable thumbs something to do? Or how many of these guys want to be on the decorating committee? I wouldn't trust these guys with putting on their own shoes let alone to paint this place."

Terminal City had been coming together in the weeks before the Siege. They hadn't officially made it their home then. There had been the occasional sprucing up of the area, making it livable. But now it was important to know the who and how and why in order to keep things running. If there was anything that a lifetime of military strictness had taught them, it was the necessity of organization and a chain of command.

The surveillance committee was headed by Dix. They were in charge of maintaining the cameras around the sector and keeping sentinels hidden around the perimeter to keep tabs on the slightest movements of their captors. At the moment, Dix was attempting to hack into a military signal for more information.

Mole wanted to head the weapons committee, which organized their current arsenal in preparation for battle if push came to shove. And boy, did he hope that someone was going to shove. He was itching to see some action.

The housing situation along with utilities maintenance was left up to Luke. Residents were currently squatting wherever the roof didn't threaten to collapse and there wasn't a draft. They deserved better though. And maybe some more warm running water because Max had to take a freezing cold shower that morning. There were some things a girl could not live without.

Joshua found himself left in charge of food distribution. He took the title of Head Chef of Terminal City, since he made the best mac and cheese ever as far as they were concerned. That and he was the only transgenic that could cook without needing to keep a fire extinguisher handy or give them food poisoning.

An X5 with extensive field med training by the name of Ken had been living in Terminal City for some time, and was nominated to head the infirmary. Gem had been eager to help as well, and the two agreed to share the position. It was going to take a lot of man power to collect all the supplies necessary, handle pregnant X5s who knew nothing about birthing, and the on-coming swarm of new denizens.

Alec made notes on a clipboard [he'd found] about all of these developments. It was no laptop spreadsheet, but it would have to do. He had been with Max when she kept coming up with things she needed help with. Suddenly the clipboard became an extension of his soul.

The things he did for that girl, he thought as he walked out of Med Bay with Ken and Gem arguing over where to put the gauze and bandages. He made a mental note to start a bet in two months as to how long it would take for those two would jump each other's bones once Gem healed from having the baby. They grated each other's nerves a little too much. He decided to write that down next to the medical supply checklist after all, two months would be a while and he could forget. Ken screamed out in pain and there was a large crashing sound. Gem's baby started crying. Scratch that, Alec was sure this wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

Rome may not have been built in a day, but Terminal City was.

Just went to show what a couple billions dollars worth of R&D could do.

* * *

It was during the last session of food rations for the night that Alec spotted Logan in line waiting for some crackers and juice. They had mostly dry, pre-packaged foods stored up. And truth be told, transgenics had a shameless affinity for junk food. What good was a high metabolism if you didn't use it to eat whatever you wanted? Especially after having spent a lifetime locked in a cage being fed government issued health sludge. That was Alec's take on the situation.

He hadn't seen Logan all day, though he wasn't exactly looking for the guy either. They hadn't been on speaking terms since that day at Joshua's house when Alec didn't bother telling him that the whole hooking up with Max thing had been a lie. Alec had seen Cindy helping Gem out with the baby though. Sketchy had spent the day following anyone who didn't threaten to kill him, chronicling what he called 'The Great Seattle Siege.' Alec hoped that Logan hadn't spent the day moping about instead of helping, but it didn't make a difference either way.

He and Alec were not friends.

Though Logan wasn't exactly his favorite person, Alec had come to respect him and at one point thought of him as an overbearing older brother, even if he would rather die than admit to it now.

"Got those lists!" Dalton announced as he rushed over to join Alec in line. There wasn't much of a crowd since most of the transgenics preferred to eat as soon as possible, so no one cared that Dalton had cut in front of them.

Alec couldn't help but smile. The kid was hell-bent on proving his worth around there. He had been following Alec around since he got out of Med Bay, looking for things to do. When Max started shouting out errands, he found a good use for the X6. Dalton was also excited that his new job put him in close proximity to Max. Alec had noticed the boy asking him too many questions about their new… CO? President? Mayor? Empress? Alec made a mental note to ask Max what she wanted for a title, but Dalton may have been hoping for Girlfriend. Alec made another note to tease her relentlessly for it later.

Logan had overheard them, and turned around to see Alec standing behind him. Dalton was dismissive of his presence, waiting anxiously to hear Alec's approval of his work.

"Great job buddy," Alec told the boy and ruffled his hair, not really reading the reports but pretending to. "Too bad this is just the tip of the iceberg. Hey there, Logan."

"Alec," Logan replied uneasily. He still wasn't sure how to react to him since he learned the truth. Was he supposed to be relieved that the two of them hadn't slept together?

"How's it going? See that the bio-toxins and what not haven't eaten away at your flesh yet," Alec said casually.

"I guess so," Logan said, moving forward with the rest of the line. "Do you need something?"

Alec kept a blank face. "From you? Nothing. Just being polite, that's all."

Logan wasn't sure how or why, but something inside of him snapped. Since that night Max let him believe that she was with Alec, his composure had been fractured and any patience reserved for the X5 had been used up. He had bottled up his resentment, and now it had nowhere to go.

"Polite? Coming from you? That's rich. Weren't you the guy pretending to sleep with my girlfriend no more than twenty-four hours ago?"

Alec wasn't exactly sure what he'd been looking for when he spoke to Logan. Forgiveness? No, Alec was unapologetic. He had just opened his mouth without thinking as usual. Now it was taking all his strength not to let his mouth finish the situation.

He felt the strong urge to point out that Logan hadn't allowed him to explain the situation in the first place, that he had just decided to believe what he wanted to without checking the facts. No one had told Logan that he and Max had slept together. Max had explained the whole thing that night about Logan jumping to conclusions. Alec didn't even touch Max in Logan's presence. All of what went on between them had been manufactured by Logan's imagination.

He considered enlightening him with this information because he was tired of being treated like he had wronged Logan, when he hadn't done anything but be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Story of his life.

"You know, I didn't take you to be such a whiny bitch, but whatever. And if I wanted to sleep with her, you know damn well I could have," Alec said and turned to Dalton. "You may not know this yet, but Psy-Ops was a walk in the park compared to getting stuck in someone else's melodrama."

"What?" Dalton asked.

"You're still new to the world. You'll get it when you're older," Alec told him. "Trust me, the hot chicks are always more trouble than they're worth."

Logan was a bit stunned by Alec's assessment of the situation. The guy had been out in the world for less than a year and suddenly he was an expert on human social graces? Alec had a lot of nerve thinking he was the more mature person in the situation, rather than the immature sociopath that he was. Logan's distaste for the comment was from his own guilt if he was willing to admit it to himself. Even if Alec had been seeing Max, there had been no justification for acting so petty towards him. It was like an Eyes Only broadcast about the depth of his insecurity. But he was good at hiding from looking too deeply at it.

All day Logan had tried to stay out of everyone's way, trying to figure out his place in Terminal City. After Max's revelation, he no longer saw himself as the man by her side. He didn't stand by the awe-inspiring woman who pulled her people together in this time of crisis. Even if he had been by her side, he wouldn't be able to keep up. Not like Alec could and did. Logan didn't have the training, the superior genetics, or an X6 that worshipped the ground he walked on with the excessive need for his approval.

That hurt even more than the thought of Alec in bed with her, Logan discovered that day from observation.

If it was just about sex, creature comfort, Logan could blame the virus and human weakness, two things completely out of his control. Those were not his shortcomings. But he fell short in the other categories that really mattered. He couldn't help with strategic planning the way Alec could. He couldn't run for hours on end and still look like a celebrity, let alone composed. None of the transgenics answered to an ordinary the way they answered to one of their own.

Oh, sure they tolerated Logan out of familiarity, but he wasn't one of them. Not a kindred outsider, living on the fringe of society with his pre-Pulse wines and an apartment in the sky. Cindy and Sketchy had managed to blend in. Cindy and Gem had bonded, while Mole was getting a swollen head from Sketchy's attention.

Where did that leave Logan?

"So there you are," Original Cindy said as she entered Joshua's apartment late that night.

She hadn't seen Logan all day either, but Max had found the time to tell her what happened. O.C. figured that he would need some space. However after an entire day under these circumstances, she was surprised to find him still sulking.

Max wasn't looking for him and had put her mind as far away from sulking as humanly possible. The girl had completely thrown herself into the construction of Terminal City to hide from the emotional aftermath. Alec was keeping an eye on her though.

"Logan?" she asked.

He had been sitting in the cramped living room by himself, tapping away at his laptop. He turned away from it to look at her. "Oh, hi Cindy."

"What you been up to?" She wasn't going to prod him too much.

"Some files for Eyes Only. He's still trying to get back up."

Cindy decided that he'd had enough revelations for the day and wouldn't bother telling him she knew he was Eyes Only. Or tell him that he had some nerve to be fussing with that when several hundred transgenics were busy trying to put a life together knowing very well that the military was ready to do them in at the drop of the hat. This was his version of dealing with the situation the same way Max threw herself into Terminal City.

"You know, she didn't mean to hurt ya. You need to cut her some slack. This whole virus shit ain't been easy on her. She didn't do right by you, but she still needs your help. And I know you ain't the type to mope when things need to get done or when your girl needs you," she dropped some wisdom on him before going to get some sleep.

* * *

A/N 2: I felt this was a good place to stop. Actually this is only half of what I wrote for this chapter, but I figured this really needed to be two separate chapters. The next one will be only Max and Alec, so everyone just take a deep breath. And because I was late with this one, I'll post it the next one quicker.


	4. Chapter 4: Stay the Night

A/N: Yet another middle of the night encounter for our favorite X5s. I'll admit that this is a little more than 48 hours, because I started from the night of the Jam Pony incident to the morning of the flag raising, which is on the third day but whatever.

I like when authors share the songs that they felt really characterized the story, especially since I listen to music when I read. Theme songs for this fic are:

P.O.D. – "Youth of the Nation"

3 Doors Down – "Citizen Soldier" and "Away From the Sun" and "Duck and Run"

Goo Goo Dolls – "Name" and "Iris"

A Fine Frenzy – "Near to You" (Max and Alec)

Patty Smyth and Don Henley – "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (Max and Logan)

Jem – "24"

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**  
Chapter 4: **_**Stay the Night**_

_May 5, 2021_

"Hey there Maxie, brought ya somethin'… that's supposed to be dinner," Alec said as he placed the juice box and packet of Little Debbie cakes in front of her. Then he took a seat on her desk.

That afternoon Max had set up shop in an abandoned office on one of the floors above the Command Center. She hadn't intended on making herself one, but she needed her own space and had gone up there to clear her head.

Suddenly people began showing up at the door looking for her, needing this and that. She started working from that spot and that was how it became _her_ office. Wasn't that how she got the job in the first place?

It was close to one in the morning when Alec came to make sure that she had eaten before he would go back to Josh's place. Housing arrangements were taking longer than they hoped. When Cece had called base to tell them that things had gone FUBAR, all of the transgenics that spent time in Terminal City but didn't live there had rushed into the abandoned sector fearing the worst. This left a lot of them without their personal belongings or a decent place to stay. No one even wanted to think about the ones waiting to get in yet.

So Alec was stuck sleeping on the floor at Josh's place with Sketchy, Cindy and Logan for the time being. After their little tête-à-tête, Alec was not looking forward to sleeping in the same quarters as Logan, though admittedly he'd had worse roommates.

It was nights like these that Alec especially envied Max's nocturnal DNA, which only required her to sleep a few hours. He would have stayed up with her. But he had to settle for checking up on her before going off to bed.

It was strange. No matter how much she threatened him and smacked him around, he didn't get sick of being around her. Or bothering her. Well, except that time she kicked him in the crotch during the cage match. He had paid her back for that one though, giving her phone number out to some of his shadier clients so she ended up having to change it. She didn't need to know that though. Or that he told Normal and Sketchy that when he had first met her it was for sex, which was technically true.

All those thoughts faded from his mind when Max looked up from the mass of papers in front of her, many of the sheets once belonging to his clipboard. The Gem and Ken comment must have amused her because she'd underlined it in red. He smirked at the thought.

She gave Alec a confused look and his grin faded.

"Huh?"

"Food. Remember? That thing your body needs to fuel itself," Alec said.

"They gave out rations already?" she asked.

"Max, I left this out for you in the Command Center hours ago. You're lucky everyone's afraid of you or it'd be gone by now," he told her, smirking. Then in a tone that hinted at concern but wasn't quite there, he continued, "You need to eat and get some rest."

"But White –"

"Yeah, there's a guy who no amount of beauty sleep could cure. Super-immunity is nice, but I seriously would not want to be stuck with those ugly-ass idiots that talk like those automated phone calls. I'm starting to see why Sandeman made us. At least me anyway."

Max looked at him, trying to figure out what angle he was playing at. Alec was always a puzzle to her. His motivation was so whimsical, it drove her mad. It was so unlike Logan's decisive reasoning or Zack's tactical precision. He probably just came by to bother her. Right now, she didn't have time for it. She was too tired.

"Are you going to eat that or do I have to feed you?" Alec demanded.

Evidently he didn't get that she was trying to ignore him. Even if he did have a point. Her stomach growled.

Without thinking, they both reached for the snack at the same moment. Their hands became entangled, and their eyes met in a challenging stare, each daring the other to make the first move to defuse the situation. It was Max's dinner and his hands had no right to be there. But he enjoyed that fiery look in her eyes that threatened to incinerate him too much to move.

How their hesitation caused their hands to entwine more was a mystery.

Their eyes didn't move from their opponent's. Not even when Max's hand maneuvered out of his grasp and twisted his hand back. Hard. It wasn't enough to do any damage except to cause him to flinch and lose their little staring contest. That was Max and Alec.

"Thanks, but no thanks Pretty Boy," Max said. "I'm a big girl. I can feed myself."

"Yeah, but I'm still older. Seniority and all that," Alec replied as he pulled out of her grip. He brought his hand back close to himself, nursing it like she broke it even though it only hurt a little. "So I'm ordering you to get some sleep before you start looking like Mole… or White."

He shuddered for effect, and then playfully messed up her hair when her hands were occupied with the snack cakes. She swatted his hands away with her elbows.

"Noted. And you know how I feel about being ordered around," Max said.

"You wouldn't burn Josh's place to the ground, so I'll take my chances for now."

"Smart ass." Max smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"This thing with you and Logan, it'll work itself out. Yeah, I know it's _none of my business_, but I ran into him. He just needs some time. But I stand by what I said before. We don't belong with them. He's still a good ally though."

"Alec," Max gritted through her teeth. "Logan can do whatever he wants. This isn't his fight. It's ours… By the way, I was wondering when you're leaving."

Alec paused. Did she really just ask him that? Where had that come from?

To say the thought of leaving Max to deal with this little military party on her own never crossed his mind would have been a lie. Even she knew that. He just raised his arm in solidarity because he got caught up in the moment. But his penchant for self-preservation told him that it would be better to stay put where there was a huge fence between him and the people who wanted him dead.

"Hate to break it to ya, but I'm not going anywhere," Alec informed her. "You're stuck with me for the foreseeable future."

Max nodded. "Well then, you'll have to earn your keep."

"I figured you'd say that," Alec said, grinning smugly from ear to ear. "What is it? Because I'd like to remind you of how _multi-talented_ I am."

Max rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm going to say this…"

Alec's eyes widened with devilish curiosity. "For the record, just because I let you smack me around does not mean that I actually get turned on by – "

"Finish that sentence, Dick, and there'll be nothing to turn on," Max said dryly.

"Okay, okay," he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender.

"I'm going to live to regret this, aren't I?" she went on. Then she drew in a deep breath. "But I need a right-hand man with this Terminal City gig. Ya know, a girl can only do so much in twenty hours a day…"

He stared at her blankly. Then he started to reach for the back of her collar. "Okay Sam, the jig is up. Now we can have our fun, but you don't have to pretend to be Max. I promise you can have your wicked way with me anytime you want."

"Alec!" she snapped and slapped his hand away, while at the same time maintaining her balance on the chair. "Quit it. Can't you take this seriously? You know what? Forget it."

"Seriously?" he said as if the word were new to him. Was he hearing right? "Me?"

"Yeah, surprised me too," Max admitted sarcastically.

Alec shrugged. "Eh, I'll think about it."

"Excuse me?" Now her ears were malfunctioning.

"Like I've told ya, I'm not lookin' for trouble. And that is exactly what I'll get if I agree to this. You know what you're asking here?"

Max sighed.

She knew what she was asking of him. She had been ambivalent about asking him before he walked into the room, and she was still trying to retrace how she arrived at this moment. There had been no intention of bringing the issue up, hoping that someone better would come along to fill the position and proving that her sanity was left in tact. But then he just came through the door and she let it slip. Logan did say the universe was right on schedule. If so, she needed to get a copy of it Fed-Exed over to her.

And how dare Alec turn her down? Of all the nerve. He should have been grateful. She had saved him how many times and now when she needed him, he refused to help? Of course. What else could she have expected?

For him to stay.

She was asking him to stay.

His brain couldn't process this properly. She was giving him a purpose, a reason to stay.

The first thing she had given him was a swift kick into a wall. Then she gave him his name. Plus the seemingly innumerable times she'd saved his ass from what could only be called imminent death. Now this? Signing his life over officially?

No, this was too much. The whole last forty-eight hours had been too much. He refused to deal with this.

"Whatever," she finally said. "I knew I was stupid for asking. I should've known better."

He didn't reply this time. He didn't even look at her as he hopped off of the desk.

Being friends with her was too much work as it was. Throwing in heroics as well? Not his style.

He wasn't a martyr. Though in the last few months he had done some questionably martyr-like things. But he just blamed that on Stockholm syndrome.

This, what she was asking of him, would be his choice.

He needed to think. And he needed to do it far away from her, because she screwed up his amoral compass like only a best friend could.

That was why he walked out of her office without another word.

* * *

A/N 2: In Chapter 3, I added a line "Suddenly the clipboard became an extension of his [Alec's] soul." I hope this gives the clipboard reference a little more weight. But that is as far as the clipboard references go. Also, I know we went over Alec's choice to stay but I wanted to show Max needing reassurance that he really was in it for the long haul. Notice before he explains himself as making a group choice, whereas here she asks him personally to say that again on terms just between them.

A/N 3: Thanks meko for catching some typos, I appreciate it. My brain scrambles homophones in a Freudian kind of way. Usually I read this over more carefully before posting. If anyone catches any errors, tell me and I'll fix it.

To: mcmario, enchantedlight, Helisse, ocbitch, meko, angelofdarkness78, and 452max -- You rock my socks. A girl couldn't ask for better reviewers and I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Please read & review! I know people put it on alert which is nice, but I'd really like to know what you think of it too.


	5. Chapter 5: Morning Aftermath

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but real life threw me a curve ball and I struck out. In better news, we only have a few more chapters to go. Also, I've got a title and outline for the sequel – _Wake Me Up When September Ends_. However it won't be ready for some time due to extenuating circumstances, so I'm offering the tentative publication date as early 2009.

A/N 2: What can I say? May 5th is a long day.

* * *

**  
Chapter 5:** _**Morning Aftermath**_

_May 5, 2021_

"It is now day two of the siege on Terminal City," said the news reporter into her microphone. "The National Guard is currently surrounding the perimeter as this situation has earned both national and international attention. Congress has convened to discuss the matter in Washington, where there are more questions than answers about how this situation arose rather than ways of resolving it.

"Namely, private Manticore documents detailing every creature to come out of the government funded operation have come to light. Though no one will publicly disclose where the files came from or what the contents of these files specify, the American public and officers are still advised to proceed with caution.

"Rumors of cruel and unusual tactics used to keep these transgenics in line over a lifetime have given hope that they can be taken back into government hands and placed into a similar program, if they are willing to cooperate – "

"No freaking way," said Mole incredulously. "They really think we'll line up to be tortured and brainwashed? Again?"

"I think they're assuming that the beer and Skittles haven't corrupted us yet," Alec said.

His eyes turned from the screen to Max. She was standing next to him as the normal two foot radius they kept between them in front of the Command Center TV. From what he could tell, they weren't really speaking since last night. Well, at least she wasn't hitting him.

"We need to show them that we're not going back," Max stated firmly. "We're not going to get brushed under the rug again."

"Of course we're not. We're just cooped up here under a friendly police barricade," Luke replied.

"I've got an idea," came a voice from the crowd.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him.

Logan seemed unfazed by their attention. He was going to see this through.

"Josh's flag. We could raise it from the tallest building at dawn tomorrow," Logan told them. "Declare independence all over again."

No one was quite sure how to respond to him or his idea. He had been reclusive the day before, after a hailstorm of gossip. Now he had come back into the spotlight to offer suggestions on a major issue.

Alec liked the idea, but for some reason didn't appreciate that it had come from Logan. It was probably because the guy had first bitched him out for getting his ass handed to him by that Familiar, all in an attempt to show Max that Alec was truly unworthy. Then Logan had still been pissed when the truth came out, though Alec imagined it was easier than being pissed at Max. Alec wasn't anyone's scapegoat. Well, anyone except Max because that was just their deal. Why he had even agreed to be her chump was another question he refused to reflect on.

Max's expression was the one everyone was waiting on. She wore a thoughtful look, but what she was thinking was anyone's guess. Before she could comment, someone else did.

"Dude, that is an awesome idea!" exclaimed Sketchy. "The press would eat it up."

A quick smack to the back of Sketchy's head by Original Cindy quelled the snickering of the surrounding transgenics. Sketchy forgot that he wasn't allowed to add his two cents in moments like these.

"No. It's a good idea," Max said, then smiled. "What do you say, Josh?"

"You're all insane," mumbled Mole. "Probably half the reason I stuck around was to have front row seats to this show."

Max ignored the lizard man as her gaze met Logan's. He smiled. Alec scowled. Great, what round was this now? Seventeen? Well, he considered that the position of SIC was off the table with Logan back in the picture. It wasn't like he was going to taunt her and let her know he'd accepted in some off-handed manner, instead of watching her go off with Joshua, Logan and Dix to plan their party.

"I think you'd better keep an eye on our reigning Freak Queen before she gets too many ordinary ideas," Mole said to him, then taking a puff from his cigar.

Alec turned to face him, missing Max's backwards glance in his direction when she realized he wasn't behind her. Seeing his back to her, she figured that he didn't intend on coming. He hadn't even told her if he would be her SIC. Max was starting to get the feeling that the answer was 'no' from the way he was acting. She pushed that thought away to focus on Logan's flag raising idea. It wasn't like she was disappointed that Alec didn't want to be her second. Right?

"Look man, if eleven years in the world culminated into her starting her own little nation of freaks, I wouldn't worry much," Alec told him.

Apparently Alec hadn't gotten the message. Sometimes Mole wondered if the boy had just been bred for looks. "Those weren't the kinds of ideas I was talking about, Pretty Boy."

"And what kind of ideas are you talking about?"

"The kind that involves you keeping your girl away from the human. I've seen it in all those TV shows Dix watches. The best guy friend who secretly pines for the girl, but she doesn't know it because he won't make a move due to her on-again, off-again boyfriend," Mole explained as if it was obvious to everyone. "I figure your kind is the same – you know? Looks like a duck, walks like a duck…"

"But is still a genetically empowered soldier with cat DNA that doesn't like being compared to its dinner. Seriously, Max and I are just friends. If I wanted more, I'd have it. I don't hesitate to go after what I want."

"Yeah, but she does. Look at her current ordinary pet." Then Mole took another puff from his cigar. "Anyway, you humanoids disgust and amuse me… I'm going to count my rifles. And if one happens to go missing and some human gets shot, it won't be on my watch."

"Oh, you scaly ass romantic," Alec grinned.

"You tell anyone that, and one of my rifles will go missing. Along with you Princess," Mole told him, then walked out of Command.

Alec's face went pale when he realized Mole had been serious.

* * *

Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. It made my day.

I can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter. So click!


	6. Chapter 6: The Man With a Plan

A/N: Well, the clock's ticking down on this story. Thanks to all my loyal reviewers! Hope I'm doing a good job.

**

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Chapter 6:** _**The Man with a Plan**_

_May 5, 2021_

After Logan's flag idea, he had been let back into Max's counsel. He enjoyed feeling useful to her again, though how useful he actually was could be debated. Being put in charge of the flag raising committee was hardly anything to brag about. Still, he could be close to Max again and that felt like enough as he stood in her office going over the final arrangements.

"Seriously, where'd Manticore store all these guys?" Alec said in a tired voice when he walked into Max's office late in the afternoon.

He dropped himself onto an old couch that had come with the room. Dalton, who was his equally exhausted shadow, followed Alec's lead by plopping himself down beside the older transgenic. A smile pulled at the corners of Max's lips when she saw the annoyed glance Alec gave the boy. It was funny watching the X6 copy everything he did, which was starting to get on Alec's nerves. If Alec hadn't found the kid useful for something other than bolstering his ego, he would've ditched him a long time ago. Suddenly he wondered if that was how Max first felt when he started following her. No, he was much more street smart and could hold his own.

Max took the papers from Alec and was looking them over intently, as if trying to figure something out.

Logan found the situation amusing too, but turned away from them to occupy himself with some papers on the desk so they wouldn't know it. Dalton mistook this as Logan still giving Alec a hard time, and hand-signaled to Alec that he could mess with Logan when Max wasn't looking. Alec's response was a swift hand smacking him across the back of the head, which was the signal to mind his own business.

Dalton flinched and tried to hide his pain when Max turned back to them.

"Haven't you found your own place yet?" Max asked when she was done going over the housing assignments.

Alec shook his head. He didn't mind staying with Joshua, but their previous attempt at living together had proved it was best if they didn't live together. "It's too crowded for me to get my own place just yet. Got plenty of offers to share though. But no one I couldn't stand not to kill in their sleep or trust not to kill me in my sleep. Then there were the ones who wanted me for anything _but_ sleep."

The last part caused Max to roll her eyes.

"What about you, Max?" asked Dalton, trying to keep his voice casual. "Where are you going to stay?"

"Max only needs two hours of sleep," Alec informed him. "I've been petitioning for more though."

"Well, why don't you guys stay with me, Gem, and the baby? We just got assigned to big place with more than enough room," Dalton suggested. He didn't want to seem too enthusiastic at the prospect of living with Max. And maybe Alec.

It took every fiber of Alec's being not to laugh and pat the kid on the back. The kid had guts. And he went after what he wanted. Alec could appreciate that. Even though Dalton still had a lot to learn about playing it off well, that made it all the more interesting to watch. Max always did have that effect on young teenage boys and geeks in general like Brain and Logan, much to her chagrin and Alec's amusement.

Max looked at Dalton incredulously. At least the kid wasn't using any of Alec's lines yet. "I'll think about it."

Logan wanted to tell her to take Dalton up on his offer. Gem was a nice person and would be great company for Max while they were inside. She couldn't keep leaving her stuff at Joshua's place and live at Headquarters. She needed a home. The one part of the equation he didn't like was the idea of her living with Alec, but as long as they weren't living together alone, he could deal with that.

"Well, Cindy's staying with us," Dalton offered. Did she have to be difficult? And Alec hadn't answered yet.

Oh, the kid had game. Alec and Max would give him that. Before either could respond, Dix came rushing in.

"Max!" the monocle wearing transgenic called as he burst in.

"Dix? What is it?" Max asked, her voice full of concern in response to his urgency.

"Phone call," Dix told her breathlessly.

She didn't even bother to listen to who it could be. She just ran off to pick up the safe line that they had established after Biggs' death. It had been their emergency contact number for those still on the outside, and Max had been hoping that they didn't have to use it after the phone check-in twenty-four hours ago.

Alec was hot on her heels as she rushed out, the only one able to keep pace with her and the one whose ass was going to be shot at if White was involved. Dix slowly followed behind them.

That left Dalton and Logan alone in the office. Their eyes met when they realized this fact.

"So… uh, Dalton, right? How's life?" Logan said, remembering all too well that he had never been good with kids.

The boy narrowed his eyes, but didn't break the stare. He wasn't going to break that easily. "I know seven different ways to kill you without leaving this chair and I'm bored."

His casual tone caused Logan to swallow in fear. He'd seen them in action when Max raided Manticore that night and didn't want to imagine the not so friendly nature behind the innocent face.

"Well, how about that? I think I'll go see what Max and Alec are up to," Logan said and promptly exited the room.

Dalton smiled. Messing with Logan was even more fun than he'd imagined.

* * *

"Hello?" Max said into the receiver.

She was standing in a corner by the computers in Command. Dix and Alec stopped short a few feet away from her, trying to stay out of the way of the other bustling transgenics in the room.

"Max?" came a familiar female voice from the other end. "Is it really you baby sister?"

"Syl!" Max replied excitedly, increasing her grip on the phone. She had thought she would never see her sister again after that night. Even though she couldn't see her, Max knew Syl had the same reaction. "It's really me!"

"I can't believe you threw another Manticore party and didn't invite me," Syl said, her tone becoming more relaxed. "Looks like I'm just going to have to crash—Krit get away from me, I'll give you the phone in a second. Don't make me sic Jondy on you."

Max's heart almost stopped when she heard their names. She had seen Krit just a year ago, but Jondy? Jondy, the sister she had been closest to, the one she spent so many restless nights wondering about, was now on the other end of the line with Syl and Krit. She was almost ashamed that she had stopped looking for them in the madness after Manticore.

"Jondy and Krit are there?"

"Oh yeah," Syl replied. "Zane gathered us together when the Siege hit the news. Seth, Liam, and Owen are with us too… And Max? Max, we found Zack."

"Zack?"

The change in Syl's voice hadn't eased the blow. Zack? They had found Zack?

"Max, he doesn't really remember who we are. We were trying to get a ride into Seattle when we heard that 452 was involved. Then we found him. Showing him our barcodes he remembered a little, but he's still freaked. What did they do to him in there?"

Alec could hear the conversation on both ends due to his enhanced hearing, and watched the flurry of emotions dance across Max's features. Zack had been a painful subject for her, almost as painful as Ben. She had told him how things had ended with Zack when it happened, trying not to let the pain slip through the cracks of her tough girl mask. This was not what Max needed, especially when she didn't know if he would boot up 'Kill Logan v2.0' when he got the rest of his memories back.

He was tempted to put his hand on her shoulder for support, but he heard Logan's exoskeleton moving towards them and decided it was better to leave her alone.

Max was reeling from Syl's news too much to notice anything that was going on around her. She didn't know how to answer her sister. She couldn't tell her what had happened after Manticore. How she gave him up even though he'd given her everything. Fortunately Syl saved her the trouble by continuing with her story.

"Yeah, he was out of it when we found him. Actually, we didn't find him so much we were trying to steal his truck and happening to find him in the driver's seat. I really thought I'd lost my mind until the others said it was him. I'll fill you in on the rest when we get to Terminal City, because it's a long story about how we had to kidnap him. Then we ran into some transgenics escaped from Manticore they said, who were running out of Seattle. They gave us this number, so I decided to try it. What was the worst that could happen? Get Lydecker's direct line?"

Max could tell Syl's demeanor had lightened, but her own heart was still heavy with the truth. She couldn't let Zack get back into Seattle yet, even if she wanted to. "Syl, where are you?"

"Just a couple miles east of Seattle, we should be there in no time," she said. "Unless you're on your way out?"

"No, actually we're staying right here. We're through running," Max reminded her.

"Well it's about damn time," Syl said. "We'll be there in a few hours."

"Syl," she began. She didn't want to say it. The words got caught in her throat. Could she really give up what she had dreamed of for the last twelve years? Could she keep the truth about Zack from them? "Syl, now's not a good time to come in. That group you met coming in here? Get back with them in the rendezvous point, and we'll contact you when we can. You know I want us all back together but…"

"I understand. We're worth more out here. Thinking tactically, Zack would be proud… If he remembered more than our names at the moment," Syl assured her.

"Take good care of him. And there'll be a floor show at dawn tomorrow, so don't forget to tune in. We'll be together soon," Max told her, trying to sound more sure than she really was. "It won't be like last time… Give everyone my love big sister. I can't wait to see all of you."

"Same here," she replied, then gave Max a number to contact her at. "Here's Krit."

Krit's voice cried out, "Maxie! I can't believe it's really you—"

"Max?" came another male voice she didn't recognize. "Max, it's Owen!"

"Owen, gimme that! Hi Max! Seth. It's been too long baby sister," he said.

A smile crossed her face as the voices all clamored to her.

"Max, I can't believe it's you." This had to be Liam since his was the only other voice that she didn't recognize. "Jondy's going to tear my arm off if I don't give her the phone, so here she is."

"Jondy?" Max asked.

"It's just raining miracles this week, isn't it? First you, now Zack. I thought you were dead all these years. Max, if he had told me you weren't, I would've come for you! You know that right?"

Max couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face. She was so excited to hear them all, she thought her heart would burst. "I know, Jondy. I know. We're back together now. It's going to be okay."

Jondy gave a light sigh. "I don't know. The world is not what it was before. They know what we are now. There's no more hiding."

"There's also something bigger that we're fighting. I'll explain later, but we need as many transgenics alive as possible. There are these people as fast and as strong as we are hunting us, along with our usual black ops squads, so be on your guard. Some of the others will fill you in when you find them. Promise me you'll be careful?"

"You're the one who fell through the ice. But we promise."

Max laughed.

There was a pause before Jondy asked, "So, do you want to talk to Zack? He doesn't quite remember you, but maybe if he hears your voice?"

Her voice got caught in her throat at first, but she managed to dislodge it. "Yeah."

"Hi?" replied an unsure male. Zack was always sure of himself, she remembered.

"Zack, it's me, Max." The words seemed like they didn't come out of her mouth as she said them. "You might not remember me, but I'll never forget you. You saved my life twice. I know it all seems scary right now and it won't get any easier. I also know you don't back down from a challenge. Let the others help you, take care of you even though you're used to taking care of everyone else. Okay? And we'll see each other again."

"All right… Max," Zack said, as if trying out her name for the first time. That was how it sounded the first time he did it when they were children. "I remember bits and pieces. It's slowly coming back. Did you really burn Manticore to the ground like those kids said?"

"Yeah, that was all me. But I couldn't have done it without you."

She could tell he was smiling on the other end of the line, the same way he had when she first told him. "You completed the mission. And I'm guessing the Freak Nation was a spur of the moment thing?"

"Is it ever any other way with me?"

"Not sure, but hopefully I remember by the time I get to see you."

He didn't realize how much what he said broke her heart. How would he feel when he knew the truth? How would they all feel? Not just about him, but Ben as well. She had taken the lives of two brothers. She would have to push that aside for the moment. Guilt trips wouldn't help anyone right now.

"Me too. Bye, big brother."

Max hung up the phone. A million different emotions attacked her at once, she almost felt dizzy. She was already crying. Joy. Fear. Sorrow. Anger. All of it spilled out of her. Then a familiar strength surrounded her, sharing the weight of her burdens. Stupid Alec. She didn't want anyone to comfort her. She didn't deserve it.

Alec hated seeing people cry. He hated seeing Max cry. Though he'd never admit it, the sight gave him the urge to start bawling too. Yet another reason Manticore should have had him locked up even longer in that basement. Damn empathy. Some days he was afraid he was too human. That they all were.

"You better cut it out before the other guys think I'm looking to advertise a transgenic wet T-shirt contest," Alec whispered after they walked back into her office and shut the door.

She nodded and pulled away from him. Her hands wiped away the remaining tears. "Sorry. I didn't mean to lose it."

"Don't sweat it. If I did what you had to do – hell, we both know that I couldn't do what you just did. You're allowed to be pissed that the world can dangle everything you've ever wanted in your face and not let you touch it," Alec said and offered a half-smirk. He knew it all too well. He didn't need to explain it to her because she already knew. She had been there. "It's moments like these that I drink myself sick, break shit, or find a new way to piss you off and get over it."

"I'm all right, Alec," Max said. "Yeah, life's a bitch. I learned that you have to just take the plunge, and do what you've gotta do. Either torture yourself dangling there or just get it over with."

Alec's expression became strained. "Thanks, Max. I really needed to flash back to Manticore water torture."

"Well, now I know what I can do to get under your skin," Max said. "Now back to work."

He rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Bip, bip, bip."

She took the opportunity to smack him across the head. That felt better. Normal.

"You never gave me an answer about the thing last night. Seeing as how I've got a growing line of applicants, I need an answer soon. Or the offer's off the table."

Alec stared at her. Was she serious? Picking him over Logan was one thing, but over her siblings? Then again, this wasn't about nepotism. He had some very distinct advantages. Everyone in Terminal City knew him. He had ten more years of Manticore training than her. He was the fair and practical choice. Okay, when did he ever think he'd see the day that he was 'the fair and practical choice' on a list of options? What was the world coming to these days? Right, when none of the other guys could do a better job. Oh, this situation was getting better and better, wasn't it?

If he did accept, it wasn't like he couldn't train a replacement if he wanted to leave. Nobody said this was forever. They could all be dead by next week, and he'd get his name in the paper for having been one of the ringleaders in this circus.

"Sure. Why the hell not? I always wanted to be a CO."

Max glared at him. "The position is Second in Command. I'm the CO."

"Oh, I know," he said innocently, his smirk saying the opposite.

That earned him another smack across the head as Max walked out of the office to find Logan.

Alec walked out after her, smug grin still plastered over his face. Dalton was waiting at the door, ready as ever to trail after Alec once again.

"How do you manage to piss her off like that and end up SIC?" Dalton demanded in awe.

Alec shrugged. "What can I say? It's a gift. You have much to learn young grasshopper."

"And you're going to teach it to me?"

A light chuckle escaped from Alec's lips when he saw the eagerness in Dalton's eyes. "Hell no."

* * *

So, as usual, here is my plea that you please click the button with the pretty green writing and tell me what you thought. Thanks.


	7. Chapter 7: The Youth of the Freak Nation

A/N: All right, once again thank you for all of your encouragement. We're down to the wire. There's only one more chapter after this.

**

* * *

Chapter 7:** _**The Youth of the Freak Nation**_

_May 6, 2021_

The air was electric with restless. Only a few hours stood between them and the raising of the flag. This would be their real stand. The one they took only a few nights ago had been a promise to each other that they would stand together. Raising the flag was a declaration to the outside world. This was their home, their life, and they were going to fight for it. Maybe even die for it.

* * *

Alec could feel the adrenaline running through his veins as he helped to make the final arrangements of the night. It was just him and Max going over the final details.

Logan had needed some sleep after the long day that they had. He wasn't used to the long and torturous hours that they had been trained to endure. Max had caught him looking overwrought and insisted that he go to bed while she took care of the rest. Her insistence hadn't been cold or distant. It was dripping with concern and gentleness. Alec could see where this was heading and swore under his breath. He knew that this was going to happen. As nauseatingly sweet as this all was, it wasn't the time or place for it.

It was no wonder that while Max and Logan were on good terms, Logan had no clue that Max had chosen Alec as her SIC. Or that they were in the middle of an impromptu meeting in the middle of Command while Logan was asleep.

"So what's your official title? You've been doing quite a bit around here," Mole asked Alec, which was what had caught everyone's attention.

Alec turned to Max, who came up beside him.

"Well," Max said, "if you'll have me, I'd like to be you Commanding Officer. With Alec as my Second."

Hushed whispers flooded the crowded Command Center. The place was constantly busy no matter what hour of the day it was. Max couldn't gauge their response. This was why she hadn't been looking forward to having to take the reins, preferring her de facto position. What if they really didn't want her? She couldn't bring herself to listen to what they were saying.

The chattering carried on for a few more minutes before Alec cleared his throat.

"Well?"

Everyone stopped talking and turned to face him. Max was nervous and hoped that it was hidden behind her stern expression. How could she have thought that they would let her lead them?

"Well, what?" inquired Mole.

"Do you want us to be your Commanding Officers?" Max asked, her impatience getting the best of her.

A smirk crossed Mole's face, then he bit down on his cigar. "We already talked about this. You're it, kids. We didn't realize you were still talking about that."

His words were followed by a chorus of affirmations.

Max smiled and turned to Alec. "You all in?"

"Like you gave me much of a choice?" he said nonchalantly and put his arm around her, pulling her tightly to his side.

"You guys are the one who got us together," Luke said. "Max broke us out of that hell hole. Alec made us see we're transgenics, X-series or transhuman, it doesn't make a difference – we're all freaks."

"You did whatever it took to help us, even if it meant exposing yourselves," said the Arctic division guy who now went by the name Gelid. "Most of us owe our lives to you."

"Yeah, go Max and Alec!" Joshua howled.

"That and nobody else is stupid enough to pull something like this," Mole pointed out.

"Ain't that the truth!" came a voice from the back of the room.

"Aw, don't you know how to make a guy feel special?" Alec quipped. "Exactly the kind of people Max would lead. Ha! How do you like a taste of your own—"

Max's elbow finished the sentence for him. He winced a little.

"We're all dead," came another voice.

"Well, it was nice knowing ya," was another response.

Max just rolled her eyes.

"And what are we going to call this place?" asked Luke.

"Transgenic City?" someone suggested.

"Transgenic City?" repeated Alec, seeing if he liked the sound of it. "Well, it sounds cooler than Freak Nation. Then there was my idea – Monsters, Inc."

"Wasn't that a Disney movie?" asked Max.

"Well you're always going on about your Disney ending," Alec said.

"We're not changing the name," Max informed them.

"Fine," Alec relented. Then in a louder voice said, "Let's hear it for Terminal City people!"

Right on cue, the crowd erupted into half-hearted snickers and sighs. Alec did know how to work a room.

As the crowd dissipated, Max looked at her watch. She finally had some spare time to check in on Cindy before going with Logan to the roof. It was late, so she was probably at Gem's place trying to get some rest. That was why Dalton was the one to open the door when Max knocked.

Gem had left Dalton and Original Cindy to watch over the newly named Eve. The name had been inspired by a movie Dalton had seen about animated robots, one of which was a sweetly destructive robot named EVE. Gem had appreciated that – a tough as nails deadly heroine that blew things up and had a soft spot for those that cared about her.

Dalton had a feeling Max didn't want him to follow her into the bedroom where Original Cindy had put the baby down for a nap, so he went to put on some coffee for them. Max usually liked coffee.

She gently rapped lightly on the door before entering the dimly lit room. Cindy had been lying down beside the sleeping infant on a mattress, and sat up when Max came in.

"Hey there," Max greeted her in a soft voice.

"Hey boo. Haven't seen you all day. Is it show time already?" Cindy asked sleepily.

"Nope," Max said, taking a seat on blanket that was spread the floor. "Just finally found some time for my homegirl, which is important too."

Original Cindy glanced over to make sure Eve was still asleep before turning back to Max. "So, what's on ya mind?"

"Oh, you know the usual trials and tribulations of leading group of genetic experiments in the fight for freedom. Nothing out of the ordinary. But I came here to check on you," Max told her. "Not feeling queasy or developing rashes in strange places?"

"Not yet," replied Cindy. "But I'm figuring you need me, Sketchy and Logan to go so it don't happen."

"Yeah." Max looked down at the floor. "Logan's going to try to stay. I can feel it. And he can't."

"Logan is a grown man. He can make his own decisions. Of course, that fake fling with Alec woulda come in handy right about now," Cindy pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Max emphatically agreed. "But Alec's my SIC now, which Logan would probably feel is the same thing."

O.C. hadn't been expecting this revelation, and was dumbfounded for a moment trying to process it. Then she said, "Pinch me 'cause I must be dreamin'. Ain't no way you made Pretty Boy your second. And what do you mean by Logan 'would probably' be upset?"

Max's silence answered for her.

"You haven't told Logan yet."

Max steeled herself to respond. "It's not his business. This is Terminal City business. And Alec is the best choice, hands down. Everyone agreed."

She saw Original Cindy raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean by 'everyone'?"

"We ran it by the other transgenics, and they're all for it," Max told her.

Then it dawned on her how it sounded. They had waited for Logan to doze off before electing their leaders. A wave of guilt rushed over her. It may not have been his business, but it was pretty messed up that they had gone behind his back to establish their positions.

When it was all going down, Max had felt uninhibited about giving out official stations. This was Terminal City business, not Logan's new pet cause. He would've wanted ballots. Then he would have wanted her to be called mayor or president or something much more democratic. And Logan wouldn't be happy to know that Alec had been chosen for SIC without more thought being put into it.

But that wasn't what Cindy was getting at.

"You know, ever since you busted Alec outta jail that night, you two been actin' kinda funny. You been less 'I'm gonna put that boy in a world of hurt.' And he's been around you more than usual without the smack-worthy comments and hitting on anything in a skirt. Now this. Is there something you ain't tellin' me?"

Dalton's ears perked up at Cindy's question and he forgot all about the boiling water. There wasn't anything going on between Max and Alec, was there? No, he would've seen it. But Dalton still crept over to the door to hear the confirmation from Max herself.

"Cindy, there's a lot of stuff I can't tell you," Max confessed, moving closer to her friend. "But me and Alec? We're just friends."

Dalton let out a desperate sigh of relief.

"You know you can tell me anything," O.C. offered.

"I know. But Alec… He gets it. He's the only person who knows both sides, idiot that he is," Max tried to explain. "We've been working together a lot to get Terminal City on its feet lately, that's all. Less because we want to, but more that we have to."

To Dalton and Original Cindy, it seemed like a reasonable explanation. Even if it felt like an incomplete one.

Cindy had not been as involved with the transgenic cause as Alec was. It had been too dangerous and even she knew she would be a liability if the chips were down. But she did what she could support her friends.

Alec could go to Terminal City without worry. He knew he belonged there, and wouldn't die from exposure to who knew what was crawling around there. He had gone on rescue missions and come back without a scratch on him. It was Alec that Joshua was such good friends with. Cindy had heard how he and Max had been there when White had killed Josh's friend Annie. Max had been with Alec when they saw Biggs' body hanging like an animal's after being beaten to death, all because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And who knew what else she didn't talk about?

In spite of their closeness, Max had remained enigmatic about her past. Original Cindy had decided to let Max tell her about it on her own terms. She couldn't imagine what it was like then, or how it was now to live as an enemy of the state.

Alec had been close to Max since Cindy had met him. The boy didn't get attached to anyone for too long, but for some reason was not far from Max. Once Cindy had found out that his moniker had been bestowed upon him by Max, she imagined that they probably meant more to each other than either would like to let on. Max and Alec had come to an agreement in the last few weeks to assist the other transgenics which only made them seem closer.

Cindy also knew about some of the earlier incidents where Alec had betrayed Max that had made her wary of him. Her personal experience with him proved he was like every other man alive, except more slippery. The hostility between Max and Alec came from the fact that they both liked to keep a lot to themselves, especially when it came to their past. Original Cindy wasn't sure she was brave enough to want to know the details, since she figured it was bad enough to scare the hell out of two of the bravest people she knew.

The thing about Max and Alec was that they were often most vulnerable around each other. They couldn't hide what they were from one another. It was probably why they grated each other's nerves so much.

"I get it," O.C. said. "When did you and Alec come to this decision anyway?"

Max sighed. "I asked him last night, but he told me the answer today."

"Well, he better have your back or he'll have me to contend with," Cindy replied.

"I bet," Max laughed. "Anyway, I need to go wake Logan up… And O.C.? Thanks. You know, for bein' here and all that."

"Anytime boo," said Cindy. "See you in a few."

Max hugged her. Then she stood up and walked toward the door. Dalton had heard her moving in his direction, but somehow it hadn't quite registered that he was leaning on the door and would have to move. He had been too busy wondering what secrets Max had saved for Alec. That was why when Max opened the door Dalton tumbled onto the ground in front of her feet. His quick reflexes had caused him to use his hands to brace the fall and prevented his face from colliding with the floor.

Dalton rolled over onto his back as Max crouched down beside him. Then she smacked the top of his head.

"Kid, did you fail basic recon back at Manticore?" Max asked dryly.

He chose not to answer and just lay there as Max walked out of the apartment. Original Cindy just looked down at him and shook her head.

* * *

Max walked the block and a half over to Joshua's place, where Alec, Sketchy and Logan were still staying. As she made her way over there, other transgenics were out and about in the dark streets. They weren't afraid or hiding their faces as they walked past her. They smiled and nodded in her direction, which she happily returned. This was what raising the flag was about.

She opened on the door of the apartment. She never knocked on Josh's door even when he lived in Sandeman's house or when she went over to Alec's or Logan's apartments. She would just let herself in. This wasn't going to be any different. That didn't stop her from being nervous about seeing Logan, who she still had to tell to leave once the flag was raised.

Alec was standing in front of the door, already dressed and holding her emergency overnight bag.

"Heard you coming a mile away," he said, handing her the bag. "Bathroom's free, better get in there quick before Sketchy gets up."

"Hey, as long as you're not in there admiring your reflection, I figure I've got enough time," Max said.

Before Alec could respond, Logan's head peeked out of the bedroom. Joshua was still at Command and Sketchy was still asleep, so when her expression went blank, it could only mean one thing. Alec turned around to see Logan in the doorway. He was not going to get in the middle of this again. He had done so well avoiding Logan the entire time he was in the apartment. He turned back to Max.

"I'll see you up there," Alec said, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Then he left the apartment.

Max smiled at Logan. "Hey, I'm gonna get changed. Why don't you wake Sketchy in the meantime?"

He responded with a curt nod in her direction before disappearing into the room to do as she had requested. It took a few tries to rouse Sketchy from his deep sleep, but he finally managed to do it.

As Logan changed his clothes, he couldn't get the image of Max's hand in Alec's out of his mind. He wondered if it had been a subtle dig at him and the virus situation. Whether it was or it wasn't, Logan couldn't help feeling jealous that he couldn't touch her.

It made him envy Alec even more. For Eyes Only missions, Logan would sit in the car while Max was squarely in the heat of the action. Alec went along with her, armed and ready for a fight. Alec knew the Manticore side she tried so hard to hide from Logan, and he didn't flinch. Alec could challenge her in a fight or chess without worrying how badly she'd kick his ass. He had been gifted with special abilities, and all he used them for was picking up women, gambling and stealing. Life wasn't fair.

Worst of all? Alec could touch her when Logan couldn't. He could squeeze her hand, take a smack across the head, grab her to see if her barcode needed a touch-up… That was why Logan had been so quick to believe that Max had been seeing Alec. Logan was honest enough with himself that he had been trying to measure up to Max since day one, and being in that wheelchair had nearly destroyed his soul. She claimed it didn't matter to her. But it mattered to him.

When Logan had thought he lost her, it stopped mattering whether he was as strong or fast as she was. He had lost her. Even when he had her back, she had pulled away from him thanks to the virus. There had been a looming presence of waiting for the other shoe to drop, with her walking out of his life forever when he had run into that Rafer guy at Crash. She had other options than him, he had become all too aware of that night.

After pulling on his sweater, Logan reached under the blankets that he used as a bed. He had kept a box of latex gloves from the ambulance they had taken that night. Seeing Alec squeeze Max's hand like that, Logan decided that he couldn't lose her again.

He wasn't ready to let go.

* * *

A/N 2: The final chapter is going to be posted fairly soon. And a couple of things I wanted to clarify, because I know things can be read different in ways: 1) Gem is spending lots of time with Eve. I just needed her out of the apartment for that scene to work. 2) Logan doesn't think Alec is going to steal Max from him, he believes he is losing her again. 3) Alec is not perfect and I'm not lauding him, I just see him as just being the embodiment of everything Logan was so insecure about in Season One. I don't who it's happened to, but in life sometimes you meet that one person that shines at everything you're insecure about and it drives you crazy. I feel like that's why Logan and Alec feel that way about each other. Alec also admitted in the series that he admired Logan's purpose in life, and that Asha and Max preferred Logan to him. But Alec doesn't meditate on it as much.


	8. Chapter 8: Out of the Darkness

A/N: Here it is, as promised, the final chapter of _Just Another 48 Hours_.

* * *

**  
Chapter 8:** _**Out of the Darkness**_

_May 6, 2021_

"As dawn breaks on this, the third day of the siege at Terminal City, the situation is tense but unchanged. While several hundred transgenics remain barricaded inside the restricted areas, police and National Guard stand an uneasy watch at the perimeter, each side seemingly waiting to see what the other will do next…"

Max drew a deep breath as she began to climb the stairs to the roof. Logan was right behind her. She was glad for his support, and took comfort in his presence.

Josh and Alec were waiting for her up there, along with Mole and Gem. As long as they had each other, it would be all right. Max recalled saying that to her siblings over the phone. They would be together again soon.

No more running, no more hiding.

It wasn't going to be easy, but when had they ever counted on the easy way out?

"Ready?" Alec asked when she arrived.

Ready? Never. But that didn't stop her.

She still hadn't told Logan about Alec. Or that he had to leave. She wanted to be happy a little while longer with him. They both knew he, Sketchy and Cindy would have to leave soon. Sketchy had started coughing after he woke up, and they couldn't risk staying. They had overstayed their welcome.

Logan wasn't pleased to think about it, but he had decided not to fight her when she did tell him. He wanted to savor these last moments together. He hadn't left her side since they left the apartment. If he had his way, he wouldn't have to leave her ever again.

"Let's do this," Max said to Alec.

No one said anything as the pole was being hoisted up.

There were no words for it as the Seattle rain began to loom, ready to wash away the past.

Watching the flag rise, Max looked sideways from Logan to where Alec was standing. He turned to look at her at the same moment, and their eyes met to share a knowing look. This was their doing. He smiled and turned back to face the flag beating against the wind.

A smile couldn't help but forming on Max's face as she looked up at Josh's flag, flowing in the sky against the early morning fog. The sun hadn't come out yet, but as the day progressed it would find its way to them.

Logan hadn't noticed the exchange between Max and Alec. He was too busy trying to build up the courage to take Max's hand in his own. He was so proud of her. She was fighting for a cause so much greater than herself. What could be more admirable? Could he love her more?

Finally, he drew a breath in and took her hand into his. Even though they both had on gloves, he could still feel her hand there holding his.

"Now look what you've done," Logan said.

* * *

_Closing Credits:_

_First, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has been here. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. _

_There is a sequel coming up called _Wake Me Up When September Ends_ that continues where this story left off. And it is a Max and Alec kind of love story I promise, you just have to bear with me. It's going to be an angst filled one._

_At the end of Season 2, Max and Alec were close to getting together, but I feel like they need a few more nudges in the right direction, which is going to be half the fun. Also, Max has to transition away from Logan because she did love him. I refuse to throw that away. Plus it makes the story more interesting.  
_

_That's about all I can reveal of my grand scheme – there is a method to my madness. I hope._

_HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!  
_


End file.
